Fab Four - COMPLETED!!! IT'S ALL HERE!!!! IT'S DONE!!!!! About This Page:

[ripkensnana]

WHO: Myself (Ripkensnana, aka Carol), DH (Bob), DF (Malcolm), and DM (Jessie)

LODGING: Westgate Lakes

WHEN: March 1-6, 2004

REASON: Celebration of DH's retirement, plus "just because"



This trip report may be a bit unusual, in that it's written by two people - myself and DF Malcolm. Malcolm wrote the bulk of it, and posted it to his newsgroup, "The Malcolm Monthly". I've added my own little comments (and/or snide remarks, as it were) here and there. I usually preface and end my two-cents' worth with *** so you can tell who's who. So without further ado, here's the first installment:



<font color="red">Day 0, February 27, 2004</font>



I've been putting this off because it means the trip is really over. I'm even laying my souvenirs around to sort out the ones that are complete as they are, from the ones that I'm trying to hold back (as a secret until later),



***Gifts for his girlfriend, Barb, whom I'll have the pleasure of finally meeting in July, 2005.***



from the ones I need to do some modifications to. When I just dumped the bag out onto my bed a few minutes ago, I realized what I was really doing and MADE myself sit down and start typing.



***Actually, he wrote this only a couple of weeks after the trip...I'm the one who's been slow getting it edited and posted on the boards...sorry...***



For those of you who weren't subscribing to "The Malcolm Monthly" last year, I have a friend in my Science Fiction group named Carol. Her husband is Bob and her mother is Jessie (whom we call "mom"). Last year, I had an unused timeshare condo week floating around looking for a place to get used. Carol, a fellow Disney maniac, found a vacation package for her mother (who loves *HER* Atlanta Braves). It involved three days and two nights at Disney World, which included a baseball game, because that's where the Braves have spring training. When Carol told me about

it, I suggested that we try using my 7-day, spare condo week which was the same price as a single person in the travel package. It has become an annual March event (except Carol and Bob outright rented a condo this year).



Being a Disney maniac, I have no REAL qualms about going to Florida twice a year except it starts eating into my bank of vacation time - which will eventually limit the number of times I can go to Florida. Irony - ya gotta love it!



***I'm so glad that DH has retired, so we no longer need to worry about the time...just the money lol ***



Actually, the really big bonus for me is being able to buy stuff for my girlfriend/fiancee/significant other, Barb.



***Without her knowledge ***



This year there was the extra bonus of being able to ride Mission: Space again, but in a different seat position than I had before. This will be explained later in greater detail. So I spent the last full weekend before March doing laundry and pre-packing the clothes I wanted to wear on the trip because I didn't want to forget and accidentally wear any of it before the trip.



***I tend to do the same thing, except that I also get into the manic/obsessive final planning phase with my handy-dandy Passporter.***



Then I spent nearly every night of the last actual week before March trying to determine what other things I wanted to take (camcorder, yes; laptop computer, no; previous souvenirs, some; etc.) and figuring how to pack them in which cases.



***DH tends to go food shopping...he likes to pack and take along enough food to feed a family of eight for a month. I'm working on curing him of this - he wasn't quite so bad this year, because we convinced him that Orlando has grocery stores, too! ***



I finally got it all packed into my suitcase, my briefcase, and my camcorder bag on Friday JUST before Bob and Carol came to pick me up. They had just come from Bob's retirement event/last day at his old job. I was still in the middle of triple-checking the packing and trying to decide how to reset the VCR's for which shows I REALLY wanted to see once I got back. As per usual, I had the feeling I had forgotten something and it took me until I got to Florida that I realized that I didn't bring my phone book to call the local family members to let them know I was in down - nothing special, just to say "Hi".



Anyway, Bob and Carol picked me up right after work in order to drive me to Flint (where "Mom" lives) so we could all depart from the same place early the next morning.

[continued on Day 1]



***Stay tuned, more to come ***

[ripkensnana]

Day 1, February 28, 2004

OUR JOURNEY BEGINS

Once again, for those who don't remember last year's trip, Bob and Carol like to get up VERY EARLY in the morning (5:30am)

***Or even earlier***

so they can got on the road VERY EARLY in the morning (6:00am). This is opposed to me who likes to flop out of bed around 9-ish and get on the road about 10-ish. Over our bowl of cereal, Carol got up to take a picture, but I was ready for her. I closed my eyes and tilted my head to make it look like I was still asleep (in spite of sitting upright). She didn't notice the pose until we got back at the end of the trip
and we all had a laugh at it.

***And once I can figure out how to add photos to my posts, I'll let everyone see this***

This year we didn't leave until 7:30am and everyone had appropriate fun saying they let me sleep in.

***Well, we DID let him sleep in lol ***

The plan of attack was to drive as far as we could before stopping for the night. At each border crossing, we stopped at the first rest area to pose with a "Welcome to..." sign. Nothing special happened in Ohio other than Carol making use of a new book she bought which reveals trivia details and travel hints, tips, and warnings about I-75. It revealed
such details as which state tends to have the cheapest gas (saved us 15 cents per gallon at one point), reports on what restaurants are at which exits, little-known tourist places to discover, and even the names of the people who work at the welcome centers (the author encourages you to stop in say hello).

***The title of the book, for anyone who's interested is: "Along Interstate 75" by Dave Hunter. It retails for $21.95 in most bookstores. I paid about $16 and change on Amazon.com. And Malcolm forgot to mention that it also shows the places where the cops tend to hang out with their radar. It's full of historical things that occurred along the route, as well - like the route of the Great Train Robbery (Civil War). I love this book! ***

On the "Iron Man" drive (as I have come to call it) to get as far into Georgia as we can before stopping for the night, there were the expected, gasoline, potty, and stretch breaks until we got down to Tennessee. We've found a now-favored restaurant called Louie's on the Lake. It is actually in Cove Lake State Park off a curvy exit which leads to a curvy road that ends at a traffic light to a non-descript road. Off of which you turn into a barely-marked entry and then turn again. It's a miracle Bob and Carol found the place by accident on a previous trip.

***Except for the fact that we had directions from a local, who told us about it and how to find it.***

It has become an expected part of the trip - especially since we pass there about early dinner time. I make special mention of the place because I had the best pork steak I have EVER had in my life! I've heard the phrase "melt in your mouth" before and always thought it was just an advertising gimmick. THIS piece of meat REALL DID melt in my mouth! I had to watch myself to make sure it didn't fall apart on my fork. And it tasted heavenly!!

***I had the same thing, and I second the motion! They have a neat little daily "special" (every day), in which for 6.99, you choose your entree and three side dishes, which include salads and veggies of varying kinds. At dinner time, they also have an "all-you-can-eat" special, which varies from day to day.***


Our overnight in southern Georgia was at a nice little place that was part of the Scottish Inn franchise. It had adjoining rooms so we could open the door and feel palatial - amazing how little it takes to make a place seem special. I forgot to write down what exit is was on (but Carol did) so I'm hoping to remember to ask for that info because I think I may be able to stop there for my second night's drive toward Florida in July.

***Exit 293, Carterville, GA. Nice and clean, and inexpensive. I think that with tax it was about $32 per room, per night.***

***Malcolm always goes to WDW in July. He has a timeshare condo at Westgate Vacation Villas, which is where we stayed last March (2003), using up his "floating week" mentioned in the first posting on this thread. ***

[continued on Day 2]

***More coming soon!***

[ripkensnana]

Day 3, February 29, 2004

We Arrive in Florida

Sunday was check-in day - the condo place has Friday to Friday, Saturday to Saturday, and Sunday to Sunday options - but first we had to cover the rest of southern Georgia.

I can't help but mention how we managed to find the world's slowest McDonalds for breakfast. Normally, if you walk into a McDonalds during a meal rush, you could be in line for upwards of five minutes - seven if someone ahead of you is being indecisive. We were third in line, none of the customers was being indecisive, yet we were still in line for upward of fifteen to twenty minutes (it SEEMED like thirty). There were lots of people who were waiting for orders to be filled, one lady got tired of waiting and demanded her money back, and at least two people came back reporting incorrect orders.

***Our order was messed up a little, too.***

We talked about that place in amazement for several miles. There is a Wendy's here in Lansing that actually matched the TV commercials' speed twice (on separate trips), so now I think I've experienced pretty much every fast-food speed available.

Because we enjoyed the meal so much last year, we made a purposeful lunch stop in another favored eatery called Sonny's Real Pit Barbecue. We found out (thanks to Carol's I-75 book)

***Don't leave home without it - if you're travelling I-75, that is... ***

that this chain has stores spread out over several states from Florida to Virginia, so we were able to push along until we actually got hungry before we started looking for it. We always get the "Feast for Four" which includes BBQ chicken, beef and pork slices, ribs, baked beans, coleslaw, fries, and a really big drink. What we have leftover (which is never much) we can take with us for a snack. Bob says it's the first place to get "real" sweet tea made the proper southern way.

*** And the price is $24.99! This is probably the best meal deal going!! And you can get refills on everything except the meat! The meat is slow-cooked BBQ style, but has no sauce. The have the sauces on your table, in varying degree of spiciness or sweetness, so you can add your own.***

It was here that the Quote-of-the-day was made. While discussing how much we'd like to have a Sonny's in Michigan - and whether it would be successful - a comment was made about making a separate trip, Bob said "It wouldn't be worth it to make a separate trip down here just for Sonny's". Carol responded with "Those are the three main reasons for our current trip: Sonny's, Louies on the Lake, and Disney." And I said "And almost in that order!" There was much laughter.

***The waitresses we've had have all been very accomodating, even refilling your LARGE drink and giving you a lid so you can take it with you. ***

We stayed at Westgate Lakes (up I-4 on the other side of Disney from my regular place)

***Near Universal Studios - not that we have time to go there - and Belz Outlet Mall. ***

and the service continues to be lacking. There was no escort to the villa and no welcome party, so "Lakes" continues to be the leader of NOT providing top-notch service. It's almost as though they are the test-bed for new ideas on how the company can get away with not doing something any more.

On the other hand, because "mom" has her own wheelchair, Carol was able to request a handicapper-accessible room - which puts it on the first floor - so that was enjoyable.

***Except that the "Handicap Accessible" bathroom has no tub (except the whirlpool), and no edging on the edge of the shower to keep water from getting all over the floor. I guess they expect you to wheel your wheelchair right into the shower! Mom isn't all that handicapped, so I guess we didn't really need all that, especially since the accessibility features cut down on the storage places in the bathroom (drawers for personal hygiene stuff were missing, so as to provide for wheelchair access to the sink).***

Still, we really don't need much from the facility since we spend nearly all day every day at the theme parks. And we found out that because we were renting, they provided maid service free of charge (you have to pay extra once you become an owner). Except for a particularly frustrating attempt to CONTACT someone about a mid-week problem we had in the villa, things went well... overall.

***Actually, I think the maid service was a slip-up on their part, because I noticed on the little list of "guidelines/rules" I got, they mentioned that maid service was available for an additional charge. They didn't ask me to pay when I checked out, and I would have refused, because I didn't request it...Actually, the overall stay was quite pleasant. The condo had two bedrooms, with a king-size bed and whirlpool in the Master Bedroom, plus a full kitchen with full-size appliances, including washer, dryer, and dishwasher, and all dishes, pots, pans, cutlery, etc. The living room had a pull-out queen size sofa bed, and the second bedroom had two full beds and its own bathroom. There was also a screened-in patio next to the pool. Very roomy and comfortable. And the price was great, just $455 (plus tax) for seven nights. The only drawback is the inevitable sales pitch the day before checkout...more on that later.***

***We made a run to Wal-Mart for groceries, and dashed back to the condo to watch the Oscar ceremonies...I was absolutely thrilled over the LotR's winning practically everything in sight - disappointed over Sean Astin being overlooked for a Best Supporting Actor nomination, but that's for another forum - somewhere - sometime...***

[continued on Day 3]

Next - We FINALLY get to the parks!

[Mel & Richard]

Great start! Can't wait to read the rest. That sounds like one handy book.

Mel

[DouglasE]

I love the back and forth between the two of you reporting events. It gives a more complete picture and is very funny to boot! Can't wait for the next installment.

[Colexis Mom]

Great start to your report Keep it coming

[ripkensnana]

<font color="red">WE MADE IT! EPCOT, BEWARE!! </font>



Whoops! Nearly forgot to mention that we stopped in at the Disney Welcome Center in Ocala to pick up a free gift. It was just a key chain, but each of us got Sorcerer Mickey except Jessie, who got Minnie. We promptly declared her "special" because hers was different. We're not sure if there is a pattern where occasionally a rare item is given away (which really WOULD be special) or if this was just some unsold stock that was being expunged from the store. Okay, back to Monday's report.



***This is where you can make Disney Resort reservations, if you haven't already done so, and/or Priority Seating arrangements. Disney uses these instead of reservations...With a reservation, you have a table guaranteed for a specific time. With a PS, you show up at the specified time and get the next table available for your size group. We've had to wait up to maybe 20 minutes at a really popular restaurant, but usually get right in, while people who were there before us would sit and watch (and glare). This is also a Disney Store (what a surprise) where there's lots of Disney merchandise for sale. And there's a little theatre where they show a variation on the video/DVD that Disney sends out for free upon request, plugging the theme parks and the resorts. As for the key chain, DH and I had stopped here on our July 2002 trip, and got a plain (not Sorcerer) Mickey key chain of the same type. I love my new one, cuz I collect Fantasia stuff. I wear it on my lanyard. I think they use these to get people to come in - there are coupons for a "free gift" at the Florida Welcome Center, and in the back of Birnbaum's Guide to WDW. I'm sure that it's a marketing ploy. At any rate, it sorta adds to that certain "I'm going to Disney" feeling.***





Monday was our first day in the parks and we started at EPCOT. Carol had found a reference to where you could renew your wedding vows and have

Mickey as the Best Man. I was thinking there would be some kind of semi-officious ceremony, but it turned out to be highly informal and comparable to the standard restaurant birthday spiel except you get a certificate proclaiming your marriage vow renewal (also not official). Since it was part of the restaurant fare, I nearly missed getting it on video tape. I'm certain I could have gotten into position for a better shot, but with unexpected surprises you get what you can.



***And instead of the regular dessert, you get a little layer cake with a candy disc atop with Mickey and "Happy Anniversary", plus some really great vanilla ice cream. The texture made me think that it was home-made, but the server (Luis) told me that it wasn't, that it was made by Nestle (The Land sponsor - surprise!). I suggest that if anyone finds this in their supermarket, that you give it a try...it's really good, and I'm not much into ice cream)***



I suppose now would be a good time to mention that we ate in The Garden Grill, the restaurant located inside The Land pavilion. It is a "Character Meal" which means that various characters wander around the place and stop by your table to greet you. We saw Chip, Dale, Pluto and Mickey in a farmer's outfit. I can't remember if it was Chip or Dale that came by, tapped me on the shoulder and started inching his finer toward my dessert, but I made the expected snarl-and-chomp noise and he ran off feigning panic. I think they liked the fact that we were playing along with them.



***I think it was Chip, because he was at the "Rehitchin'" , and demanded to kiss the bride (blush). Not every restaurant has "Character Meals", and the characters are specific to a particular restaurant. So the characters we met were the characters you see there all the time. Chip and Dale were also dressed in farmer costumes. These meals tend to be a bit more pricey, but are for the most part of the "all you can eat" variety. In the Garden Grill, the food is brought to the table, family-style, and the price includes beverage (soft-drinks) and dessert, so it's not too bad. And the food was very tasty - some of the veggies are grown in The Land's greenhouses, which you can see on the Living with the Land ride. Oh, and this is a revolving restaurant, so the view changes as you eat. Price for lunch is $19.99 plus tax and tip. The wedding vow thing is called a "Rehitchin'", and you request it when you book your PS, and mention it again to the Cast Member at the podium.***



The quote of the day came on one of Mickey's repeat visits just as we were discussing the possibility of finding a hidden Mickey in the restaurant's decor. Bob said "*I* know where a Hidden Mickey is!". "Where?" Carol and I chimed together. Bob grinned, pointed to a point just above the wall of the booth, and said "Right there!". Sure enough, the Mickey character was peeking over the wall at us. It's not exactly what is normally meant by a Hidden Mickey, but it generated a good laugh.



***I know it wasn't an official Hidden Mickey, cuz it wasn't mentioned in my "Hidden Mickey" book. - which I'd left in Mom's scooter ***



Backing up a bit, because we had been reading about it online (and because I got to test-ride it last year), we made our first stop the new Mission: Space attraction. The ride is a simulator type ride but with the feature of pulling real G-forces. Most simulator rides are a platform that tilts you around in synchronization with the movie. Mission: Space puts you into an enclosed cockpit riding on the end of an arm which PRODUCES the launch G-force by spinning you and the others with a centrifuge effect. Rather than just sit back and watch the film, you are INCLUDED into the ride because each person is given two buttons to push. The Engineer pushes the buttons for Hypersleep and extending the wings for landing. The Commander pushes the buttons for first stage separation and activating manual control. The Pilot pushes the buttons for the second stage rocket and shields. The Navigator presses the buttons for the orbit and descent thrusters. If no one is in the seat, or you react too slowly, the computer engages an override and makes it all happen on schedule anyway. And of course, each station has a control stick "in the event of an emergency landing" (grin).



***I'm trying to remember - I'm sure I was Pilot, and was between Bob and Malcolm, and Mom was Engineer, and Bob pushed Mom's buttons for her, so that means that Malcolm was navigator.***





New to the ride is the addition of barf bags. We're guessing that the cast members complained about having to clean up too many times (the ride is THAT intense!).



***I took one as a souvenir ***



I got to ride in the Pilot's seat this time, so I earned a second patch. I had been having trouble figuring out how I was going to display my patches until I found a carry-pouch in the gift shop. I didn't want a jacket because I know it would be too warm to wear it on my Florida trips, and any sort of vest would cover up any Disney shirt I would be wearing. The carry-pouch was just the ticket because it slings over your shoulder and includes a cell phone/ FRS radio holder, two zippered pockets, two velcro'ed pockets, and one hidden pocket on the hidden (body) side. The outer flap is JUST big enough to hold the patches. And then there is the fact that I can carry stuff in it. It was only $17 - a real bargain inside a theme park!



***A word about the patches: Mission: Space dumps you into a gift shop (no - really??? ) after the ride. There's a set of five patches you can purchase - an ISTC round center patch, and four quarter-circle patches surrounding it, one each for each of the four positions in the ride.***



Carol's reaction to the ride was one of great joy: "That made me dizzy as hell, but I don't care! That was awesome!")



***I loved it! This has to be one of the most awesome rides I've ever been on, if not the very best! I was so into it, I had to keep reminding myself to breathe!! Mom, on the other hand, had a very adverse reaction.. She had a great deal of difficulty with the pressure of the liftoff, and said that she actually thought that she was dying, her chest hurt her that much. It took a couple of hours for her to get over it. We reassured her that she never has to do it again.***



We spent the rest of the day in Future World (the front half of EPCOT) moving through the attractions in a counter-clockwise direction (Universe of Energy, but not Test Track and it's 40 minute "Singles" line wait, Living Seas, The Land, Journey Into Your Imagination, and Spaceship Earth).



***Actually, we skipped Test Track because it was down for a rehab, and for some reason skipped Spaceship Earth altogether. We did make a brief foray into Canada to try to catch a performance of a group called "Off Kilter" (bagpipes and electric guitars...Celtic Rock!), but found that they weren't performing that day. I'd heard a lot about them, and wanted to hear them...bummer! We also spent quite a bit of time watching the Dancing waters in the fountain in Innoventions Plaza - we saw at least two shows - actually, Mom and Malcolm watched, while Bob and I hit Pin Central ***





We admitted to ourselves that we were living up to the joke (EPCOT = Every Person Comes Out Tired) and decided that since we were going to be back on Saturday, we skipped the fireworks and went back to the condo for an early end to the evening.



***That and the fact that the battery in Mom's scooter ran out. I'm not sure who was in charge of this, but someone neglected to put it on the charger the night before...***



Tomorrow - The Magic Kingdom!



[continued on Day 4]

[poohsgirl]

<font color="purple">Great update! </font>

[luvnwdwgal]

Great trip report Carol! I love the back and forth commentary between you and Malcolm! More, More!!

[Colexis Mom]

Great update Carol Looking forward to more

[ripkensnana]

<font color="red">THE MAGIC KINGDOM IS OURS! </font>



Hmm.. Disturbing pattern here... In order to avoid typing in too much information into any one e-mail, I seem to always have something left over from the previous day. Let's see if I can avoid having something left over this time...



On Monday, the first stop I made was to buy the newest Disney high-tech toy, Pal Mickey.



***Mom kept making me take pictures throughout the parks of "A grown man playing with a stuffed toy." She was absolutely flabbergasted by the price.***



It's an 8 inch Mickey doll filled with electronics. The directions tell you to hang Mickey on the supplied belt clip so he "can see where you're going".



***Actually, it's because there's a sensor in his nose which lets Mickey know where you are in the park. I think that the light-up pins that came out a couple of years ago (and which are still sold) were the fore-runners of Pal Mickey. I'm referring to the ones which light up at various times or at various attractions. Mine went crazy at the end of Fantasmic.***



As you walk through the park, Pal Mickey detects where you are and notifies you of various tidbits of information by vibrating and laughing. Squeeze his hand or tummy, and he tells you the information. This could be anything from "The parade starts in half and hour, so we'd better pick out a spot!" to a description of the ride you're standing next to, to an alert that a particular attraction has a short line. It cost a whopping $60, but considering it also will play three games and tell you jokes whenever you want, it's well worth it. Speaking of jokes, it didn't take very many to decide that a bunch of people MUST have sat in a room during the planning stage and continually repeated the phrase "No, not corny enough!" Yeah, I made a couple of store clerks chuckle with that line too...



Okay, back to Tuesday.



It was on our visit to the Magic Kingdom that I realized that something had gone wrong with my Steadicam unit. Part of the counter-balancing weight is the monitor panel that prevents the need for pressing my eye against the camcorder's viewfinder. It is the viewfinder that had gone bad as it turned completely white with no image. Hoping it was only the batteries, I changed to a new set and found that the panel no longer lit up. A third set of batteries confirmed a problem with the panel. One of these days, I'll need to try to open the unit in search of a broken wire. If that is all that went wrong, I have a chance to fix it myself and save anywhere from $150 to $650. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.



***Okay, asking for Pixie Dust here so that Malcolm can get his Steadicam fixed without it costing him an arm, a leg, the shirt off his back, and his first-born....wait a minute - Malcolm doesn't have any kids...Okay just the arm, leg, and shirt. ***



We got to the Magic Kingdom's entrance just after opening time. Because of that, we arrived at Cinderella's Castle in time to see the first show of the day. Another stage show featuring that battle of good versus evil wrapped in a theme of giving presents. Wrapped. Presents. Sometimes I feel so clever.



***And he is - very clever. After all, he's clever enough to have me for a friend --BTW, I kept rooting for the villains, to no avail . I keep hoping, but they never win. ***



Anyway, once the show was over, Carol got pictures of the statues in Central Park and then we started working our way around the park. We had to skip Pirates of the Caribbean due to an excessively long line.



***But Carol got her picture with Captain Hook and Mr. Smee, which made up for it. I just love the villains!! ***



On the flip side, When we arrived at Splash Mountain, they were JUST re-opening it after fixing a problem, so we avoided a long wait.



***And what fun!! Bob lost his hat (didn't hear the Cast Member telling us to "Hang onto your...", and Mom couldn't understand why we wanted to go on a ride to get wet (Bob was right in front of the boat and got soaked!). I loved it, though. And I was lucky enough to get a picture of the log falling into the Briar Patch without any people in it! Mom didn't go on this ride, she decided that she'd rather sit in her scooter and people-watch. A good thing, too, cuz she probably wouldn't have liked the drop - the stuff inside, yes, but not the drop. Or the getting wet part... ***



We spent the rest of the day working our way clockwise around the park trying to hit some of the slightly less popular rides like the Hall of Presidents, Liberty Square river boat, and It's A Small World (Jessie's favorite), and Carousel of Progress.



***Our main objective on this trip was to try to do things we'd never done before (like the Liberty Belle) or hadn't done in a long time. I FINALLY got to see Carousel of Progress, and loved it! It's been closed when we've been there on previous visits, as it's only open "seasonally". They have it open while the ExtraTerrorestrial Alien Encounter is undergoing a rehab to become "Stitch Escapes". Now, if only I can get to see "TimeKeeper", I'll be a happy camper ***



There's a new 3D film called Mickey's Philharmagic which proved to be quite entertaining. There's an arch that originally frames the movie, but I got so caught up in the show the I didn't notice when it was pulled away to reveal a triple-width screen. Something to look back upon.



***And the ending is quite neat - it must involve animatronics (I won't say what it is, as it would be a "spoiler"). But it's really funny. ****



The quote of the day came from Pal Mickey. Who, when approaching the Astro Orbiter made this suggestion: "To the left is Space Mountain - an exciting roller coaster ride through space. To the right is... *gulp*... The Extra-TERRORestrial Encounter where they have... those... uh...- - I, uh, kind of like the idea of going left, don't you? Yeah! Left! I definitely like left! Left is good! R-Right?"



The big thrill of the day was that Jessie was able to see the SpectroMagic light parade for the first time. Last year she didn't like the Magic Kingdom too much because it was a little crowded.



***Her comment last year was (if I remember correctly) was: "It's (MK) slanted way too much for kids. They should have more for grown-ups." Ya gotta remember, she's 87... ***



This time, it was nearly her favorite park because of the nighttime electrical float parade.



***Mom was really exasperated with us because we hadn't seen this parade last year, kept blaming Bob for making us leave MK early on (even though it was a group decision). Actually, we'd planned on returning later in the week, but for some reason, it didn't happen.***



Another thing Carol had discovered while scouring the internet was that Disney had changed the fireworks show a little bit. Included in this new show was the detail that Tinkerbell performed her flight during a pause in the middle of the show rather than at the beginning. Bob's favorite character is Tinkerbell, so I made sure to get a halfway decent close-up for the home video.



***And I've discovered that the scooter really comes in handy for getting a great spot for parade/fireworks watching in the various parks! Handicap viewing areas are a wonderful thing! I think I'll borrow that scooter for December's trip ***



Next up: Disney-MGM

[luvnwdwgal]

Great update Carol!!! Keep it coming!!

[Colexis Mom]

Another great update Carol

[Mel & Richard]

[ QUOTE ]
Mom was really exasperated with us because we hadn't seen this parade last year, kept blaming Bob for making us leave MK early on

[/ QUOTE ]

I love that your mom enjoyed Spectro so much she was mad you hadn't seen it last year. She's pretty funny.

Mel

[ilovelilo]

I'm loving your trip report--and the two perspectives on your trip!

[ QUOTE ]
Speaking of jokes, it didn't take very many to decide that a bunch of people MUST have sat in a room during the planning stage and continually repeated the phrase "No, not corny enough!" Yeah, I made a couple of store clerks chuckle with that line too...


[/ QUOTE ]

So true!!

And here's some for Malcolm's Steadicam!